IR scene projectors (IRSPs) are used to emulate realistic scenarios to enable IR imaging systems to be investigated and/or tested. For example, IR imaging systems and IR imaging systems that may be employed in connection with IR guided weapons and/or countermeasures may be tested in the laboratory using IRSPs.
Current IR radiation is typically generated based using resistive heaters, light emitting diodes (LED's) or IR LASERS. In the case of IRSP IR radiation generation is based on arrays (e.g., 512×512 or 1024×1024) of miniature (e.g., 50 μm-square) resistive heater elements controlled in real time to display varying and/or complex IR scenes to a system under test. However, it is expected that future IR imaging systems and detectors will have larger and faster focal plane arrays and faster IR sensors. Thus, in order to accommodate the performance and oversampling demands associated with testing of larger and faster focal plane array IR sensors, and other IR detectors improved IR emitters and IRSPs will likely be required.